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By James Reddick
On
August 1st, Connor Brennan, the owner of Teele Square establishment,
P.J. Ryans, will set off from Sturbridge on his racing bike alongside
over 5,000 other riders. The next day, assuming all goes as planned, he
will arrive in Provincetown, 190 miles down the road and up the arm of
Cape Cod. He has been training for months but has never participated in
a race of this length. He and his fellow riders won't be racing each
other, but instead riding in the face of cancer, a disease that has
touched Brennan throughout his life, as part of the Pan Mass Challenge.
Having
lost both of his grandmothers to cancer-related illness, Brennan wanted
to contribute to the fight against its devastating effects. "Cancer is
such a huge part of people's everyday lives," he said. "I thought that
it was time to just get on the bike and try to do something myself."
With every dollar going directly to the Jimmy Fund, Brennan is trying
to raise at least $4,200 for the cause. Currently, he has raised $1,200
but will be hosting a fundraising party this Sunday, July 26th, at PJ
Ryans. There will be a pig roast, with a small contribution for plates,
as well as a raffle drawing for Red Sox tickets and for cases of wine.
This
year marks the 30th anniversary of the Pan Mass Challenge, which has
raised phenomenal amounts of money for the Dana Farber Institute. Last
year alone, the PMC raised $35 million, or half of the Jimmy Fund's
annual revenue. While Brennan recognizes the current economic woes that
curb donations to charities such as the PMC, he stressed the importance
of the cause. "It's true that times are tough, but cancer directly
affects people regardless of the economy." Though he has minimal
experience in long-distance riding, the Dubliner is unfazed by the
challenge. "The adrenaline will get me through it. But I'm not looking
forward to getting up Sunday morning." It will hurt much less knowing
that he reached his goal of $4,200. To make a tax-exempt online
donation starting at $1, visit.
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